Study recommends New York legalize recreational marijuana

N.Y. would become 10th state to legalize marijuana if governor, lawmakers act

1of122of121. About 44% of Americans have tried marijuana, according to a 2015 Gallup poll. The percentage has grown steadily since Gallup first asked the question in 1969.Michael Ciaglo/Houston Chronicle3of122. Fully 11% of Americans (more than 1 in 10) reported to Gallup in 2015 that they currently smoke marijuana.Getty Images 4of123. Support for the legalization of marijuana has been growing, with 53% of Americans in favor of it as of 2015, per a different Gallup poll. Support is stronger among younger folks than older ones, and weaker among Hispanics than among whites and African-Americans.Getty Images 5of124. Americans are especially likely to favor legalization of marijuana for medicinal purposes. The drug has been found useful to treat glaucoma, epilepsy, inflammatory bowel diseases, arthritis pain, multiple sclerosis pain, and chemotherapy pain and nausea. Other possible uses include curbing the growth of cancer cells and Alzheimer's disease, stimulating appetite, and treating anxiety.Getty Images 6of125. It's not all good news for the drug, though. Like regular tobacco, it contains carcinogens, and inhaling a lot of smoke is not good for anyone. Though it may be less addictive than other drugs, some people do become dependent on it. It can impair driving ability, too. Many studies find marijuana to be less harmful than alcohol or tobacco, but that doesn't mean it's safe.Getty Images 7of126. Folklore has it that Shakespeare may have smoked marijuana, and that Queen Victoria might have used it to alleviate monthly cramps. It's also reported to have been recommended as a substitute for alcohol by prohibition campaigners in the 19th century.Getty Images 8of127. Legalizing marijuana could deliver significant tax revenue to governments seeking just that. In its first year after legalizing marijuana, the state of Washington collected about $70 million in taxes. For Colorado, it was $53 million -- and marijuana tax revenue is outpacing that from alcohol in the state. The Cato Institute has estimated that state governments and the federal government could save around $8.7 billion through the legalization of the drug.Getty Images 9of128. Growing marijuana, like growing many other crops, requires a lot of resources. According to Mother Jones magazine, California's crop requires 50% more water during its growing season than the city of San Francisco uses in a year -- some 60 million gallons. In Denver, it's estimated that less than 2% of the city's electricity usage is for growing marijuana -- but that rate is growing rapidly.Getty Images 10of129. The marijuana industry in the U.S. was recently estimated to be worth about $3.5 billion, with California research company ArcView seeing that growing to $4.4 billion this year.Getty Images 11of1210. Growing marijuana can be surprisingly profitable, with a 2015 Bloomberg report noting that while the wholesale rate for medical marijuana was $2,500 per pound, it was costing a Colorado grower just $600 to produce the stuff. A Forbes article posited that "Legal Cannabis is 2015's best start-up opportunity."Getty Images 12of1211. You can make money (or lose it!) in medical marijuana without growing any yourself -- by investing in marijuana-centered companies. While there can be plenty of money for companies in growing and selling the stuff, big bucks can also be made by developing effective pharmaceutical drugs derived from it. Here are two publicly traded companies to look into: GW Pharmaceuticals is a biopharmaceutical company with a market value of $1.2 billion, while Insys Therapeutics is another, with a market value of $1.8 billion. Both stocks have dropped in recent months, presenting better entry prices for long-term believers, but it's also quite reasonable to wait for this nascent industry to grow more and to see which companies emerge as profitable winners.Getty Images

A study ordered by New York Gov. Andrew Cuomo recommends that the state legalize and regulate marijuana for recreational, adult use, the state's top health official announced Monday.

That study has not been released to the public yet, but will be "soon," said state Health Commissioner Howard Zucker, who revealed the news Monday morning to a small group of reporters in Brooklyn.

In the same meeting, he announced the state would also be expanding its medical marijuana program to patients on prescription opioids — a move designed to reduce reliance on highly addictive opioids as New York battles rising overdose rates amid a nationwide opioid epidemic.

But that news was quickly overshadowed by his announcement about the recreational marijuana study, which was undertaken by the state Health Department on Cuomo's orders in January. The Democratic governor has in recent months shifted his public stance on marijuana, a drug he once lambasted as a "gateway" to other, more dangerous drugs. In January, citing legalization in neighboring states, he said "facts have changed" on marijuana and that, as a result, state policy may have to, as well.

The state-led study examined the effect that legalization in neighboring states would have on New York, as well as the impact legalization here might have on public health, safety and the economy. It also looked at how recreational marijuana would be taxed, where it would be grown, how it would be distributed, the age of use, and the potential for drugged driving.

"There's a lot of variables there," Zucker said Monday. "We weighed them. We looked at the pros, we looked at the cons. And when we were done we realized that the pros outweigh the cons."

Should the governor and lawmakers act favorably on the study's recommendation, New York would be the 10th state to legalize marijuana for recreational use. Nine states, as well as Washington, D.C., have legalized recreational use of the drug, including nearby Massachusetts, Vermont and Maine. New Jersey is also exploring the possibility, and Canada is on the verge of legalization.

With just two days left of the 2018 state legislative session, however, it's highly unlikely legalization will occur in New York this year.

For starters, the report itself hasn't even been finalized. Zucker said he is still "crossing t's and dotting i's" before he sends a final report to the governor. Asked Monday what its next steps would be, Cuomo's office said only: "We will review the report when we receive it."

Assemblywoman Crystal Peoples-Stokes, who sponsored a bill with Sen. Liz Krueger to legalize recreational use among adults in New York, told the Times Union that although the Democrat-led Assembly is likely to pass her bill, it's highly unlikely it will make it to the floor in the final jam-packed days of session.

"To do an eight to nine hour debate, first in conference then on the floor — I'm not counting on that happening," she said. "But if it does I can tell you that I'll be ready."

By all appearances, the Republican-led Senate remains firmly against legal, recreational marijuana use, though it does support expanding the state's medical marijuana program as a way to wean people off opioids.

"With only two days left in the legislative session our focus is on issues related to affordability, opportunity and security, and working with Senator (George) Amedore and others to utilize medical marijuana as an alternative to heroin and opioids," said Senate GOP spokesman Scott Reif, about a bill the Senate passed Monday that would allow the use of medical marijuana for the treatment of substance use disorder or as an alternative to opioids for the treatment of pain.

"We will take a look at the (DOH) report whenever it's made available to the public but our focus is on helping the people who really need it," Reif added.

Whether it happens this year or not, legalization will undoubtedly come up in this year's governor's race.

Actress Cynthia Nixon, a Democratic rival of Cuomo's, campaigned on the issue, saying it presents an opportunity for social justice reform and reinvestment in communities of color that were hard hit by the war on drugs.

Stephanie Miner, the former Democratic mayor of Syracuse who joined the race Monday, has also publicly expressed support for marijuana legalization.

A campaign spokesperson for Republican candidate Marc Molinaro, meanwhile, released a statement Monday couching Zucker's announcement as political maneuvering by the governor.

"Shocking: Andrew Cuomo, who's sprinting to the left because he's terrified of Cynthia Nixon and, now, Stephanie Miner, just had his hand-picked 'Doogie Howser' rubber stamp another decision that has less to do with science and everything to do with politics," said spokeswoman Katy Delgado.

"There are serious questions to be answered about marijuana; they should be answered by serious people without a political agenda," she added.

Bethany Bump writes about all things health, including state and local health policy, addiction and mental health for the Times Union.

She has previously covered education, business and local governments, and won awards for her coverage of health care and addiction issues.

Bump joined the Times Union in 2015, after a four-year stretch at The Daily Gazette in Schenectady, N.Y.She graduated from Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications in 2011, with a bachelor's degree in journalism and political science.